The 1975 have been sued for $2.4 million by Malaysia's Good Vibes Festival, a year after Matthew Healy kissed Ross MacDonald on stage to protest the country's homophobic laws. Variety References. The damages, just short of the $2.6 million initially sought last year, are related to the Malaysian government's subsequent decision to cancel the festival altogether. Healy spoke about the incident at a show in Texas last October, saying he was “imprisoned for a while” in Malaysia. “If you really believe that artists have a responsibility to uphold their liberal virtues using their massive platforms, then those artists should be judged by the risk and suffering they face to do so, not by the rewards they receive for the consent parrot”. he said.
Organizers of the Future Sound Asia festival have reportedly filed the lawsuit in the UK High Court, claiming the band willfully broke the country's laws after several reminders. Among those rules were swearing, smoking and drinking on stage, removing clothes and talking about politics or religion, according to Variety. Other guidelines specifically prohibited kissing. The lawsuit reportedly notes that the band considered not performing, but decided to protest the rules by playing “a completely different setlist” and defying instructions on purpose, including Healy's “provocative speech” and “prolonged passionate embrace” with MacDonald.
During the set, Healy had denounced the Malaysian government's policies that punish homosexuality with 20 years in prison. “If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can jump in,” he told the crowd. “I'll take your money, you can block me, but I've done it before and it didn't feel right, and I'm crazy.” The set ended abruptly, with Healy saying: “Okay, we've just been banned from Kuala Lumpur. See you later.” The band canceled shows in Jakarta and Taipei immediately after the festival.
Future Sound Asia filed its claim for damages last year through legal firm Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership, which cited Healy's written agreement that the band would “comply with all local guidelines and regulations”. He added in a statement at the time, “their actions had an impact on local Malaysian artists and small businesses, who relied on the festival for creative opportunities and livelihoods.”
After the Malaysia show, in 1975 he released a statement through We the Fest, who were to host their show in Jakarta, Indonesia. “The band never takes the decision to cancel a show lightly and was looking forward to playing for the fans in Jakarta and Taipei, but unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, it is impossible to go ahead with the scheduled concerts.
